FROM 2018
Author: Kelly Andersson
Fire in central Oregon burns to almost 4000 acres
Author Kelly AnderssonPosted on Categories WildfireLeave a comment on Fire in central Oregon burns to almost 4000 acres The Darlene 3 Fire just east of La Pine in central Oregon has been burning aggressively; by Thursday morning it had grown to 3,889 acres — up from 2,415 acres the day before.
The fire is about 30 percent contained. KTVZ-TV reported that the cause remains under investigation.
The fire was human-caused — and federal, state, and county law enforcement agencies are involved in that investigation. Crews worked hard on initial attack Tuesday, building line off Reed Road to protect assets to the north.
The Central Oregon Type 3 IMT is in unified command with the Oregon State Fire Marshal (OSFM) Red Team, in part because of the large number of threatened homes at the edge of town. Winds and high temperatures on Wednesday allowed the Darlene 3 Fire to create spotfires beyond the firelines, and it then burned east onto the Deschutes National Forest, where it merged into a couple of fuels-treatment burns previously created by the BLM and the USFS. Crews noted that those burns moderated fire behavior on this incident.
On Wednesday night, crews finished containment lines and firing operations. As long as the temps and winds remain moderate, crews and dozers and engines will work on reinforcing firelines; 335 personnel are assigned, including 38 engines, 5 hand crews, 8 watertenders, and numerous dozers and aircraft.
Six task forces of structural firefighters are protecting homes and other buildings and working mop-up around homes and town infrastructure.
Deschutes County evacuation info is online at deschutes.org/emergency — and the Red Cross has set up a shelter at La Pine High School (51633 Coach Road). The La Pine Activity Center (16450 Victory Way) is open for RVs to park and also has meals and N95 masks available. Rebecca Marshall with the Red Cross said they do not at this time need donations.
Air quality information can be found at aqi.oregon.gov or AirNow.gov — and residents can add the OregonAir app on their smartphones.
The fire took off Tuesday afternoon and then grew rapidly, just a mile or so outside of the town of La Pine. A level 3 evacuation order — remember Level 1-2-3 = Ready-Set-Go — is in effect on the east side of La Pine. There’s an evacuation map here.
Zach Urness with the Salem Statesman Journal reported that a Type 3 IMT took over on Wednesday morning; on Tuesday, Gov. Tina Kotek invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act. “This allows us to send the full power of the Oregon fire services to protect life and property,” said Oregon State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple. There are six task forces of structural firefighters defending local buildings that are threatened on the east edge of town. The fire is threatening nearly 1200 structures, according to Deschutes County Sheriff Sergeant Nathan Garibay
FIREWORKS: Just say no
Speaking of fireworks safety over the Independence Day holiday, James Duff with the City of Orinda, California tipped us off earlier this month to this outstanding little 2021 PSA from Lubbock, Texas. We are entertaining nominations for award-winning fireworks messaging, and there is a prize involved, so please nominate your “July 4th Hot PSA” from a fire agency, government agency, or NGO related to fireworks use and fire safety.
Write at least one sentence about who it is and where it is, add the link, and post it in the comments below.
Meanwhile, enjoy this little gem from Texas.
Upper Applegate Fire holding at 500 acres, drone grounded aircraft
Author Kelly AnderssonPosted on Categories Wildfire4 Comments on Upper Applegate Fire holding at 500 acres, drone grounded aircraft Fire crews on southern Oregon’s Upper Applegate Fire have made excellent progress, holding the fire at an estimated 500 acres since it started on June 20 south of Ruch in the Applegate Valley. Burning on private, BLM, and USFS land on the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, the fire’s been 15 percent lined directly and about 70 percent with direct line — the Northwest Coordination Center reports the human-caused fire still holding at about 40 percent containment. The unlined eastern edge of the fire is steep and rocky and has presented a challenge since the fire was engaged.
Despite hot and windy conditions, three federal large airtankers and one very large airtanker were flying out of Medford to keep the fire within its footprint. T-01 dropped on the Upper Applegate on Thursday, and both T-131 and 132 flew the fire on Friday. From McClellan on Friday, both T-103 and T-910 dropped on the fire.
KDRV-TV reported that an illegal drone was seen flying over the Upper Applegate Fire on Friday night, and ODF had to shut down aircraft for the last hour of the day. Drones can cause fatal accidents, and flying one in restricted airspace over or near a fire will ground planes and helicopters on the fire. The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office searched late into the evening for the drone and its pilot but were unable to locate them. If you have information, please call the JCSO Tip Line at (541)774-8333.
More than 200 personnel are now assigned to the fire, according to the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF), including 27 overhead, seven 20-person crews, three engines, two watertenders, three bulldozers, six tree fallers, and a Rapid Extraction Mobile Support Team (REMS). The terrain on this fire has posed numerous safety issues, from the steep slope to hazard trees and rolling rocks.
Crews managed firing operations on the southern portion of the fire, which is near to houses across the road, connecting up firefighters’ line with a bulldozer line that was already in place.
Fire managers expect temperatures in the high 80s to low 90s with a slight wind in the afternoon. A Type 1 helicopter, along with a Type 3 and two Type 2 helicopters, are assigned exclusively to this incident, and airtankers will be ordered as needed. Portions of the fire area are affected by conifer mortality with large patches of dead Douglas-fir trees. Fallers have been working to remove these trees, allowing firefighters in closer to the fire’s edge.
Resources from across Oregon have been dispatched to this fire, including ODF’s Incident Management Team 2. KEZI-TV reported that crews with McKenzie Fire and Rescue, Junction City Fire District, Coburg Fire District, South Lane County Fire and Rescue, Lane Fire Authority, Pleasant Hill Goshen Fire and Rescue, and Mohawk Valley Fire District are on the fire, and a task force was mobilized out of Polk County. The Oregon State Fire Marshal deployed two strike teams, along with resources from the BLM, USFS, and Applegate Valley Fire District.
More photos and video [HERE] by The Missing Miles.
South Fork Fire evacuates Ruidoso
Emergency officials ordered residents of Ruidoso to evacuate last Monday the 17th, and to do it immediately, ahead of a fast-moving wildfire in southern New Mexico.
UPDATE: RUIDOSO, N.M. -- The FBI is offering a $10,000 reward for information about those responsible for starting two New Mexico wildfires that killed two people and destroyed hundreds of homes in the past week. The agency seeks information in connection with the South Fork Fire and the Salt Fire near Ruidoso. The South Fork Fire was 26 percent contained on Saturday and the Salt Fire was just 7 percent contained on Saturday morning; full containment's not expected till July 15.
“GO NOW: Do not attempt to gather belongings or protect your home. Evacuate immediately.” Residents of the village of Ruidoso got this message about 7 p.m. from local officials if they were online. CBS News reported that the Public Service Company of New Mexico shut off power to about 2000 customers in the town — at the request of fire managers — when the fire burned to nearly 1300 acres.
KRQE-TV reported that hot ash was falling in nearby community of Alto.
By Tuesday officials said the fire was over 13,900 acres and was zero percent contained. The fire’s threatening multiple structures, officials said, and numerous buildings had been lost. Highways are closed and traffic’s being re-routed to Roswell, where hospitals were trying to admit as many patients as possible as they were moved from the hospital in Ruidoso.
The South Fork Fire started Monday on the Mescalero Apache Reservation, where President Thora Walsh Padilla declared a state of emergency. It’s burning on tribal land and USFS land around Ruidoso.
A second fire, the 4880-acre Salt Fire, also was burning with zero containment on the reservation southwest of Ruidoso. Officials have closed Highway 70 from Botella Road to Highway 244 and residents east of Botella Road are evacuating.
Residents at Chatto Ridge are on “ready” status and Apache Summit is being evacuated. The Tribe is receiving reports of multiple additional fires on the Reservation. An evacuation center at Inn of the Mountain Gods Convention Center is available for residents — tribal members or not — at the Mescalero Community Center Gymnasium, and livestock can be held at the Mescalero Rodeo Grounds. Call (575)973-1394 if you need help with hauling your livestock.
::: BY THE WAY, legend has it that the Mescalero Red Hats, along
with the Zuni and Santo Domingo fire crews, were the ones who discovered a bear cub with burnt paws in 1950 on the Capitan Gap Fire. That bear would go on to become Smokey Bear, the internationally recognized symbol of the nation’s fire prevention efforts.
NOTE FROM Mt. Taylor IHC
Post Fire over 15,000 acres
A fire in Los Angeles County that evacuated hundreds of people from a state park has burned over 15,000 acres since it started Sunday. By Monday evening Cal Fire was reporting the fire at 15,611 acres with 20 percent containment.
late Tuesday update: 31 percent at 15,690 acres.
CNN reported the fire at 8 percent containment Monday morning, with more than 1,000 firefighters assigned — including 34 crews, 7 helicopters, and 114 engines. Numerous airtankers are working the fire as windy conditions allow.
LA County Fire Department (LACoFD) Section Chief Kenichi Ballew-Haskett said Monday morning they’re notifying residents there may be mandatory evacuation orders pending.
“We’re getting people on notice that if we have to issue a mandatory evacuation order that they need to leave,” Ballew-Haskett said, advising residents to have their bags packed, a full tank of gas, and cell phones ready. “Once the sheriffs come by or law enforcement asks you to leave, it means the danger is imminent.”
An Associated Press report said the fire forced the evacuation of at least 1,200 campers, off-roaders, and hikers from the Hungry Valley recreation area on Saturday, but Ben Nicholls, division chief with Cal Fire, said fire activity subsided overnight. “Forecasted winds are supposed to be less than we experienced yesterday, which should allow the resources assigned for this operational period to build and strengthen the control lines that were put in place yesterday,” he said.
Evacuation orders are in effect west of I-5 between Pyramid Lake and Gorman, and warnings are in place for areas south of Pyramid Lake between Old Ridge Route and the Los Angeles County line. The National Weather Service warned Sunday of wind gusts of 60 to 70 mph and a red flag warning was issued for the I-5 corridor in Los Angeles County and the Ventura County mountains until 5 p.m. Monday.
